BALTIMORE — City teachers have better virus protection thanks to a group of Baltimore restaurants.
The Local Fry, Toki Tako, Golden West Cafe and Thai Street donated 20 percent of their sales last week to buy PPE for teachers.
"Even though the restaurants are going through some tough times we're lucky enough to still bring some extra people out to get some carry out business and also donate," said Kevin Irish, Owner of the Local Fry and Toki Tako.
The restaurants had a goal of donating 2,500 masks.
But with the tremendous support from customers and donations from corporations, the team of restaurants raised enough money to buy just over 31,000 disposable masks for teachers.
Those masks are now in teachers' hands.
On Tuesday, the Baltimore Teachers Union started delivering them to teachers who are teaching in-person.
A teachers union vice president says while teachers have been given masks to wear, this donation provides
them with ones that are more protective.
"What city schools did not provide for staff was these high-filtration masks like the N-95 or KN-95's, and those really do make a difference, the science says. Those are safer when you are indoors for extended periods of time with other people even if they are wearing masks themselves."
The teachers union says they'll be dropping off masks to every school throughout the week.
